We hope you are enjoying the NFL season. The playoff race is shaping
up and promises to bring even more excitement as we head into the
holiday season. My purpose in writing now is to update you on steps we
are taking to help our older retired players – the heroes of the 60s,
70s, and 80s who deserve great credit for their role in building the NFL
into what it is today.

These players did something for the game of football. Now it’s our turn to do something for them.

It’s easy to say we appreciate them. But our actions need
to tell the same story. That’s why we are proud of the agreement we
reached with the union this week on how to distribute the $620 million
Legacy Fund set aside in our new collective bargaining agreement. It
means we will begin paying higher benefits immediately to all retired
players whose pensions vested before 1993.

This new Legacy Fund benefit has three important components:

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Every player will receive a major pension increase. We have significantly raised the pension floor of minimum monthly payments.

Players whose pensions vested before 1975 – the players who played for the lowest salaries – are getting the biggest increase.

The Legacy Fund benefits will continue not only for the lifetime of
the retired player, but also for the lifetime of his eligible
beneficiary.

The formula for distributing the $620 million fund was
designed after we discussed it with leaders of several retired player
groups, including Mike Ditka, Carl Eller, Bruce Laird, Willie Lanier,
George Martin and Ron Mix. The new benefit applies to more than 4,700
players who were vested in the Bert Bell/Pete Rozelle Player Pension
Plan prior to 1993.

Here are two examples of how the Legacy Fund will
significantly increase monthly pension payments to many retired players:
<ul>[*]There is a 10-year veteran player who retired in the 1960s who has
been receiving a $200 monthly pension. The Legacy Fund benefit will
increase his monthly check to $1,840.[*]Another 10-year veteran who retired in the 1970s will see his monthly check increase from $165 to $1,810.[/list]
Nothing we do or say can ever fully express our appreciation for the
dedicated players who built the NFL. But I believe that the Legacy Fund
is an important step in the right direction. Paired with our efforts
to set a higher standard for player health and safety, it represents the
shared commitment and responsibility of the National Football League
and its players to improve the lives of the men who played the game –
yesterday, today, and tomorrow.